


For Her Hand

by PsychVamp



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Childhood Friends, F/M, Forget Canon, Stubborn Arya, each kingdom is seperate, ser gendry, tourney
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:00:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22620634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychVamp/pseuds/PsychVamp
Summary: Prompt: Arya refuses to marry anyone who is a stuck up highborn who wears pretty armour but can’t lift a sword. Her father agrees to hold a tournament in her honour if she marries the winner. Ser Gendry arrives in Winterfell for the tournament to win Princess Arya’s hand in marriage.Arya has her own plans for the tourney.
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 28
Kudos: 196





	For Her Hand

**Author's Note:**

> I changed up the prompt a little bit, but it still works. I'm sure you'll see a little hint from where else I took a little inspiration. Prompt is from the days-of-gendrya over on tumblr.
> 
> Background: Each Kingdom is separate. They operate peacefully with each other, little fights now and then but nothing too much. The Targaryen's do run the area in canon known as the Crownlands as King.

Arya stormed into her father’s solar, throwing her leather riding gloves onto the table in front of him, “I will not marry that pompous fool.”

Ned sighed and gestured for to sit in the chair, “Tell me what was wrong with this one.”

“I decided to go for a ride through the Wolfswood. Ser Ronald was there and offered to attend me. Against my better judgement I allowed it. Before he even reached the wood I already wanted to throw him off his horse. All he did was talk about how he had been given his knighthood by a Targaryen prince.” She scoffed, “As if that was supposed to impress me.”

“Arya, that is…”

“He never once talked about anything that did not concern himself.” She replied, “I then challenged him to a race. He declined. I challenged him to spar. He declined. The man is craven and it shows.”

“You need to marry someone Arya. You are nearly twenty and the last child to marry.”

“Rickon still isn’t married.” She pointed out.

“He is 14 and betrothed.” Ned reminded her, “You have turned down every suitor that has ever come to call. I am frankly surprised that your stubbornness hasn’t spread around the known world by now.”

Arya frowned, “I will marry when you can find me someone who has actually earned that fancy armour they wear. Also, when that man can talk about literally anything but himself for longer than ten minutes without bringing it back to himself.”

Ned released another sigh, “What is it you want me to Arya? Invite every eligible bachelor on the continent to compete for your hand.”

Her face lit up, “Yes! Let’s host a tourney. Nothing fancy, just a melee, maybe some archery.”

“Arya, ple..”

She just talked right over him, “We can have them divided into brackets, for the melee. Make it easier to remember who is who. And then the melee winners each get one arrow to shoot for my hand.”

Ned got to his feet, “If I agree to this. You will marry the winner. No further debates or discussions.”

“I don’t really think that is fair Father. Maybe no archery, I can pick from the finalis…”

“I have been more than fair with you Arya. How many fathers do you think would have indulged you in your riding and sword fighting? Or allowed you to dismiss dozens of suitors? Not many, most would have just picked a husband for you and you would have had to live with it.” He carefully sat back down, “Here are the options left available to you. I can pick a husband for you or you can marry the winner of this tourney.”

She sat in silence, her arms crossed over her chest and a deep set frown on her face. She was quiet for a moment before saying, “Fine, but it isn’t just open to the sons of a lord. Knights, no matter their station, can enter as well.”

Ned moved the papers around on his desk until he found a blank piece of parchment. He quickly picked up his quill and began writing. When he finished he turned to over to her, “We are making this a formal agreement. Read over this and then sign at the bottom.”

She rolled her eyes but read the words all the same. The terms were exactly what they had discussed, with the exception of the requirement that Arya must marry within a moon of the end of the tourney. She could see why her father would want that and picked up the quill, signing her name at the bottom next to her father’s signature.

Ned smiled as he looked at, “Good. I will start sending out ravens, spread the word. We will give it a moon, that should be enough time for all those that want to attend to get here.”

Arya nodded and got up from the chair, “Thank you Father.”

He smiled at her, “I only want what is best for you little wolf.”

“I know, I shall see you at dinner.” She said and excused herself, she needed some time to gather her thoughts, and the situation she had put herself in.

* * *

When Arya had been younger, there had been an apprentice at the forge by the name of Gendry. He was a few years older than her and never seemed to smile. Her twelve year old self had then made it her mission to make him smile. She had been called Arya Underfoot for years but she never felt she truly earned it until that time in her life. Everyday she’d sneak away from her lessons and go down to the forge. There she would sit and talk at Gendry, he never responded with anything other than no or yes m’lady. It was highly annoying. It took her a few moons, but she was finally able to start to crack his stoney exterior. It started with small sentences, simple replies to her questions. Eventually, after a rather good story about stuffing Sansa’s bed with goat shit, she got a smile and laugh. 

Things became easier after that, they seemed to have actual conversations and became friends. It was the best time of her life. Spending time sparring with her brothers in the morning and then sneaking out of her lessons in the afternoon to see Gendry. He made her smile more than anyone else was able and he made her feel special, and wanted, and he saw her for her. It was perfect, until, it wasn’t. One morning, a little over a year after she had begun her daily trek to the forge, she arrived to find he wasn’t there. The other apprentices said he had been called away that morning and they hadn’t seen him since. She wondered about why but assumed he had just been called away for a project. The next day, she repeated it, and again he wasn’t there. The apprentices seemed nervous about speaking with her, but she eventually got one to admit that Gendry had been escorted out of the castle, he would not be coming back.

She cried herself to sleep that night. How could he have left without saying goodbye? Why would he have left at all? He had always told her that Winterfell was the best place he could ever want to be. The tears stopped as it came to her, he hadn’t left, he was removed. In that moment, she knew her mother was behind Gendry’s dismissal. She had managed to wait until the following day for her confrontation, knowing that doing it in the middle of the night would not be in her best interest.

After breaking their fast, Arya did not follow her brothers out to the training yard, instead she waited until it was just her and the Queen left at the table. 

Catelyn seemed surprised to see her still there, “Not training today?”

Arya knew her mother hated the training and she shook her head, “I do not feel up to it today, not after being betrayed.”

“Betrayed?” Catelyn asked, “Who betrayed you?”

“You did.” She answered, glaring at her mother with the look only a teenage girl could properly seem to master.

Catelyn shook her head and got to her feet, “I don’t have time for accusations when I have done nothing.”

“You are saying you did not have Gendry sent away?” Arya asked, getting to her feet as well.

“Who is Gendry?”

Arya scoffed, “You didn’t even bother to learn his name, why am I not surprised. Gendry was my blacksmith friend, but the other apprentices told me he had been escorted out of the castle yesterday. Only a few people have that kind of power.”

Catelyn’s expression did not change, “A blacksmith is not a proper friend for a princess. You were spending far too much time with him, it was only a matter of time before he took advantage of your friendship. I could not allow that. You will see one day, this was for the best.”

"How did you even know about him?" Arya asked.

Catelyn shook her head, "You were exactly being sneaky my dear. When Septa Mordane told me you'd been neglecting your lessons it wasn't very hard to figure out what you had actually been doing. You'll get over this little crush of yours in a few days and then we can work on finding you a proper suitor."

Arya was not given a chance to respond as Catelyn walked from the room and left Arya to stare after her. Arya refused to leave her room for the rest of the day and decided from that moment that she would never trust her mother again.

Now, as a full grown woman and seven years later, she had never expected to see Gendry again. The tourney was to take place on the morrow, but there was a reception being held to introduce all the competitors to not only each other but to Arya. A few were the lordlings and princes she had already declined but some were also landed and landless knights, hoping to jump their station. She had only been casually paying attention to them until the herald had announced, “Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill.”

Her eyes had immediately landed on the man in question as he walked forward, bowing to her family on the dias, after all, how many men could be named Gendry? His features were the same, coal black hair and a large build. When his blue eyes landed on her she actually stopped breathing for a moment. It was him. He had come for her. It hadn’t even been anything she had dared to hope for, not aloud anyway. Even if he had never been far from her thoughts and he haunted her dreams.

“Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill.” Her father said, “Do you have lands or other titles?”

“I do not Your Grace.” He answered, his eyes finally leaving her and turning to her father.

“Who knighted you and for what deeds?” Ned asked, the common questions he had been asking of all the untitled knights.

“Lord Beric Dondarian. I saved his life and he rewarded me with a knighthood. I was then in his service for many years.” Gendry explained, keeping his eyes forward.

“Thank you Ser, may the gods favor you tomorrow.” Ned replied, and excused Gendry just as he had all the others.

Arya kept her eyes on Gendry’s retreating back until he disappeared into the crowd, she suddenly had a favorite for tomorrow, even if the events weren’t going to go the everyone believed they would.

* * *

The numbers had required there to be three sets of melee brackets and the winners would then fire a single shot for her hand. There was nothing for her to do during the melees but watch and hope the winners would not be completely awful husbands. She was thrilled to see that Gendry would win his bracket easily, the others were no match for his strength. The other two were more up in the air, but she had little care for those. 

By the time the melees were complete, the sun had fallen below the horizon and her Father announced they would hold the archery portion in the morning. Arya looked at the three men standing before them: Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill, Edric Dayne, heir to Starfall in Dorne, and a Targaryen Prince, Aegon.

She did not sleep well that night, wondering what would become her fate tomorrow, and hoping she had made the right choices. 

The morning sun shone brightly over the tourney yard and over the three men standing there, bows at the ready, with a single arrow notched. Her father gave the signal and they all three fired at once. Everyone had their eyes focused on the targets, that no one noticed her walk down the steps from the dias. They did not see her be handed a bow from one of the castle’s servants. They did not see her until she stepped up next to Edric Dayne and fired an arrow toward his target, hitting the center. She then repeated the action with Gendry’s target and Aegon’s, hitting the center all three times. None of them had.

She turned to her father now standing, looking down at her with annoyance, “I believe I have just won my own hand.”

She heard a chuckle from behind her, and turned to see Gendry smiling at her, Edric looked confused, while Aegon looked ready to murder her. She looked back at her father, noticing that her mother was now standing beside him. 

“As I said father, I thought it would only be fair if I was…”

“King Stark, you are not going to stand and listen to this are you? Your daughter cannot possibly win her own hand.” Aegon yelled up to her Father, “I demand that she be put back in her place and the three of us shot again. The winner gets your daughter.”

“She beat us all, that is good enough for me.” Gendry replied glaring at Aegon.

Aegon scoffed, “What do you know? You are a landless knight, you shouldn’t even have been allowed to enter for the hand of a princess.”

“I think Ser Gendry has more than proven his worth to be here.” Edric commented, earning his own glare from the prince.

Arya clapped her hands and got all three of them to turn back to look at her, “Are you all done? Do you want to know my decision?”

“What decision?” Edric asked.

“My father agreed to this tourney, on the condition that within a moon of the outcome, I would be married. I keep my word when I can.” She explained and smiled up at her Father, “Would you like to know which one of you I have chosen?” She glanced at her mother and said, “I choose the blacksmith.”

Murmurs started around, she was sure people were confused but as Gendry walked up to stand beside her and took her outstretched hand, she saw the moment her mother realized exactly what was happening. That her meddling all those years ago had actually led them to this moment, for it kept Arya angry and pining, while it had driven Gendry to try to improve his station. 

Arya turned at smiled at the man beside her, “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I thought the same. I promise to not leave you again, m’lady.”

She chuckled, “You better not. I went through a lot of trouble for you today.”

He took her hand and raised to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back, “Thank you, for choosing me.”

“You chose me first.” She turned her hand to lace their fingers, “Come along, let me introduce you properly to everyone. Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill, my betrothed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I hope you liked it. Don't be afraid to comment with your thoughts.


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